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Sunday, 6 November 2016

395) 50th Anniversary of Haryana: A Commemorative Postage Stamp brought out by India Post on 01.11.2016:

395)
50th Anniversary of Haryana: A Commemorative Postage Stamp brought
out by India Post on 01.11.2016:

Creation
of the State of Haryana:

Haryana was carved as a
separate political entity on the Indian Union on 01.11.1966 and is one of the
29 States of India. The State was carved out of the former state of East Punjab
on a linguistic basis. The Union Territory of Chandigarh serves as its capital.

The
Historical Reference from Ancient Ages:

The territories comprising
the State have been referred to as the crowning jewel of the “Land of the Gods”
since time immemorial. The golden history of the State is recorded in an
inscription as far back as the “Vikram
Samvat 1384” (Vikram Samvat is an
Indian calendar which started in 57 BC i.e. over half a century earlier than
the Gregorian calendar which uses lunar months and solar sidereal year), which
reads “Deshosti Haryanakhya Prithvyam
Swargsannibha” (meaning “There is a nation named Haryana, which is akin to
heaven on Earth”).

The name “Haryana” itself
is derived from the Sanskrit words “Hari”
(meaning the Hindu god “Vishnu” of the Hindu Triumvirate of Gods – Brahma,
Vishnu & Mahesh or Shiva) and “Ayana”
(meaning “home”). Thus, the words “Hari”
and “Ayana” read together the name
stands for “the Abode of God”. The name “Haryana” is also found in the works of
the 12th century AD “Apabhramsha”
writer Vibudh Shridhar.

The Vedic State of “Brahmavarta” is believed to have been
located in South Haryana where the initial Vedic scriptures were
composed/penned after the great flood around 10,000 years ago, which is also
the place where the Hindu texts “Manusmriti”
composed by Manu and Bhrigu Rishis
(meaning “a Hindu sage or saint”) were also composed. Rakhigarhi village in
Hisar District was home to one of the oldest Indus Valley Civilisation sites,
dating back over 6000 years. Evidence of paved roads, a drainage system, a
large-scale rain-water collection storage system (water harvesting), terracotta
brick and statue production and skilled metal working (in both bronze and
precious metals) have been discovered here. It is believed that Rakhigarhi was
the origin of the Harappan civilisation, which grew in the Ghaggar basin in
Haryana and gradually moved to the Indus Valley.

During
the Medieval Period:

Ancient idols of Jain Tirthankars (belonging to the Medieval
period) made of bronze and stone have been discovered in archaeological
excavations in several towns of Haryana, including – Badli, Bhiwani, Dadri,
Gurgaon, Hansi, Hisar (Agroha – the ancient city founded by Maharaja Agrasen, a
contemporary of Lord Krishna and the Great King of the prosperous and
influential Hindu business community of “Aggrawals”and
its 18 “gotras” meaning “clans”), Kasan, Nahad, Narnaul, Pehowa, Rewari,
Rohad, Rohtak and Sonepat etc.

In the 7th Century
AD after the departure of the Huns, Raja Harshvardhan made Thanesar near
Kurukshetra his capital.

In the 12th
Century AD, Prithviraj Chauhan got forts constructed at Taraori and Hansi.

During
the Contemporary Period:

Haryana
also saw several significant battles which changed the face of Indian history.

The territories comprising the State of
Haryana, were ruled by major Empires of India and the field of battle at Panipat
has seen three major battles – the First Battle of Panipat (1526 –
fought between the Mughals and the Lodhis), the Second Battle of Panipat
(1556 – fought between the Mughals and Hemchandra Vikramaditya, popularly known
as “Hemu”, the Haryanvi Hindu Emperor of Delhi) and the Third Battle of
Panipat (1761 – fought between the Afghan raiders and the Marathas).

Haryana
has played a significant role in shaping the history of India between the
arrival of Muslim rulers and the emergence of Delhi as the royal capital.

The First Battle of
Indian Independence fought in 1857 saw the people of Haryana play a leading
role in the Independence War. The rulers of the Kingdoms and farmers fought
many battles against the British defeating them on several occasions. Most of
these battles were fought in Sonepat, Rohtak, Sirsa and Hisar areas. After the
War, the kingdoms of the Nawabs of Jhajjar and Bahadurgarh and the King of
Ballabhgarh and Rao Tula Ram of Rewari were annexed to British territories and
handed over to the administrators of Patiala, Nabha and Jind.

In the 20th
Century AD, during the Freedom Struggle for Indian Independence, the
people of Haryana again participated in large numbers.

Haryana
– present day:

Today, Haryana is not only
one of the fast developing States of the Indian Union, but is also a
trend-setter and a place of ultimate choice for entrepreneurs all over the
world. Every tenth soldier in the Indian Armed forces is from Haryana.

The State is the second
largest contributor of food-grains in India.

Athletes from Haryana has
earned the tag “Champion State” in the field of sports by participating
and winning medals in International events such as the Asian Games,
Commonwealth Games and the Summer Olympics.

The emergence of
Gurgaon which adjoins the National Capital New Delhi forming part of the
National Capital Region (NCR), as a global destination, had made Haryana
a “Happening State”, as well as the engine of growth and opportunities for the
people.

The State Government is working towards the
mottos “Sabka Saath-Sabka Vikas” and “Haryana Ek – Haryanvi Ek”.

The Government is striving
towards the development of the entire State of Haryana by launching several
welfare schemes and programmes during the last two years, including “Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana” (meaning
“Prime Minister’s Crop Insurance Scheme”) for farmers and implementing the
Minimum Support Price for procurement of essential food grains. It has also
spearheaded the construction of several Expressway/Road Projects like
the Kundli-Palwal-Manesar Expressway etc. among other initiatives.

In all its projects, it
has conducted e-auctions so as to bring about transparency.

50th
Anniversary of Haryana: A Commemorative Postage Stamp brought out by India Post
on 01.11.2016:

The First Day Cover (FDC)issued
on the occasion of release of the stamps shows a horse driven chariot together symbolising
Arjun’s chariot being driven by Lord Krishna in the field of battle at
Kurukshetra (as described in the “Mahabharat”, an ancient Hindu text) which is
also the logo of the Haryana Swarn Jayanti (Golden Jubilee”) celebrations being
held from 01.11.2016 to 31.10.2016, with the motto “TRANSFORMING HARYANA –
PROGRESSING HARYANA”. The FDC is inscribed below the logo “Haryana Ki
Pacchaswin Varshgaanth” (in Hindi) and “50TH ANNIVERSARY OF HARYANA”
(in English). The 500 Paise of Rs.5/- Stamp shows the logo of the 50th
Anniversary of Haryana.

The Cancellation hand-stamp is inscribed
around the periphery “Haryana Ki Pacchaswin Varshgaanth” (in Hindi) and “50TH
ANNIVERSARY OF HARYANA” (in English) and shows the numeral “50” in the centre.
The Cancellation is of New Delhi GPO and is titled 01.11.2016.

The Stamp issued on the occasion, showing the logo of the Golden Jubilee celebrations - Arjun's chatiot being driven in the field of Battle at Kurukshetra by Lord Krishna together with Arjun's conch-shell - Devdutt - (meaning a gift from the Varun Dev) on which he invoked Lord Shiva before the start of the battle at Kurukshetra is sounded and the golden Jubilee Years "1966-2016".

Arjun’s chariot being
driven by Lord Krishna in the field of Battle at Kurukshetra

About Me

I am Rajeev Prasad, a retired State Bank of India officer who had been collecting coins in a shoe box without having a serious interest. Only after quitting my job I got the time to take serious interest in developing my coin collection into a hobby. A pity, because I would have had more opportunity to lay my hands on more 'exclusive coins' while in the Bank. Anyway, as they say,better late than never. If you have any views to share with me regarding this blog , please contact me on my email rajeevprasad1208@gmail.com. I also have a twitter account @prasad_rajeev.
I had an opportunity to participate in a Documentary on the life and times of the 25 paise coin titled “Chal Basi Chavanni” (The four anna/twenty five paise coin passes away), aired by STAR NEWS on 29th and 30th June 2011. The programme helped in making many persons hold back onto their “chavannis”, the little round beauties, instead of returning them to Banks .